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Marriage and Parenting
Marriage is a not commonly practiced system of union in Hyborian society. Although the Clans of the Barren Wastes have historically practiced it, it has fallen rapidly out of favor with the growth of the Hyborians and the spread of the matriarchal Hyborian Culture. Parenting, however, is considered to be the Hyborian 'version' of marriage, with the commitment of conceiving a child together considered to be a lifetime one. History While the Hyborians have never practiced their own form of marriage, marriage does have a history in other Barren Lands cultures. Traditionally seen as a form of ownership and dominance, marriage was traditionally used by patriarchal clans and clans that practiced slavery. As taking Matriarchs and midwives as slaves was considered a great taboo across most Clan cultures, marriage was seen as an acceptable way to take more midwives into a clan without their consent. In the case of Matriarchs, marriage was often seen by rival Clan Warlords and Battlemasters as a non-taboo way of absorbing or annexing another Clan with minimum warfare or bloodshed. In most clans that practiced marriage, it was acceptable to have multiple spouses. In at least one recorded case, a Matriarchal clan known as Khitai practiced polyandry, with the Warlord Yigu taking three husbands she had collected during raids. Hyborian Attitudes Towards Marriage In most cases, marriage is considered a taboo to Hyborians. As a society that refuses to take or trade in slaves, Hyborians consider marriage to be a more insulting form of slavery and refuse it. Most Hyborians consider the majority of marriage proposals to be a great insult. There have been numerous recorded cases of Hyborians declaring war on entire foreign nations following a marriage proposal, with Hyborians famously wiping out an entire once-allied township when a General proposed marriage to a Hyborian who he had learned was carrying his child. However, there have been exceptions to the rule. The benefits of political marriages, while entirely foreign in concept to Hyborians, have been exploited before. These political marriages, however, have often followed a long period of negotiations and have often been more symbolic in nature, usually to satisfy the political needs of the foreign party involved. As a result, these marriages are rarely honored once business is concluded. There have been cases of Hyborian warriors leaving the Clan to marry and settle down with foreign lovers outside of the Barren Lands -- however, leaving the clan comes with the price of being unable to return to the Hyborian homeland. There have been only three recorded instances of Hyborians being allowed to marry and keep their status as Hyborian, and both have been in more recent times. All marriages must have approval of the Matriarch and her Counsel, and that permission is something that some hopeful couples have died trying to obtain. Hyborian weddings are so rare that they are considered to be an event akin to Royal Weddings. Parenting Parenting is considered to be an acceptable partnership between intimate or romantic partners in Hyborian culture, and is often compared by foreign cultures as the 'Hyborian version of marriage.' Conceiving a child together is considered the highest form of commitment to another person in Hyborian culture, as bringing a child into the world is considered the highest form of honor and worship to the All Mother and Womb of the World. Following the announcement of a pregnancy involving a Hyborian parent, celebrations comparable to a wedding take place with the Matriarch officiating. The mother, surrounded by celebrating Hyborians, is given a beast heart to consume raw. The kind of beast heart chosen is of great significance, as the type of beast is chosen based on traits the parents wish the child to take. For example, a couple may choose the heart of a Grey Ape if they wish their child to be an exceptionally physically strong warrior -- or, they may choose a Giant Serpent if they desire a particularly cunning and intelligent child. While it is typically acceptable for a Hyborian mother to consume the majority of the heart or as much she can tolerate, a non-Hyborian mother is all but required to consume the entire heart and keep it down if she wishes to be fully accepted by the Clan. Hyborian children born to Hyborian mothers are typically sent to Kara Kara or Hrykania to be raised by Tamassrans following initial nursing. Mothers in Hyborian raiding parties don't often raise their children full time, although they will often visit their children and spend time with them if they are in Kara Kara or Hrykania. Some Hyborian mothers do choose to raise children in raiding parties, but this is rare and often discouraged by leaders. Even rarer, sometimes Hyborian children are allowed to stay with their fathers -- but this is, again, often discouraged and is considered to be counter-cultural. Hyborian children born to foreign mothers and Hyborian fathers face a more complex fate. If their foreign mother has been accepted by the Hyborians, she will be welcome to join the Hyborian clan and become blooded. If the mother chooses not to join, or is rejected by the clan, the child must either stay with the mother and become an 'unblooded' Hyborian, or be raised by the Tamassrans in a Hyborian capital. Foreign mothers, even if they choose to stay separated, still enjoy an amount of privilege in Hyborian culture and are generally seen in a highly positive light. Unblooded Hyborian Children Children born to non-Hyborian mothers (or non-Hyborian fathers who raise the children) who are not sent to be raised by Tamassrans are known as Unblooded Hyborians. While recognized as Hyborians and welcome to live as Hyborians if they later choose, they are unable to visit The Womb of the World or partake in significant spiritual activities. They are ineligible to become Warlords or Braves. However, Unblooded Hyborian children who later decide to become blooded Hyborians can do so in adulthood by completing the challenges set by the Matriarch. Category:Lore Category:Culture